sweet marscapone cream fruit tartlets

 

the goods:

 

16 pre-made miniature tart shells (you can fin them in the frozen section); baked according to package instructions and cooled

1 cup cold heavy cream

5 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, divided

12 to 16 ounces marscapone cheese

1 pint blueberries

1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced

 

In an electric mixer, whip (with whisk attachment) heavy cream with 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a bowl. Add marscapone and remaining 4 tablespoons sugar to mixer and beat until smooth and well combined. Gently fold in whipped cream.

 

Scoop marscapone mixture into a zip-top bag and snip the corner off with some scissors. Squeeze some filling into each cooled tartlet shell.

 

Adorn with blueberries and strawberries.

pear-raspberry tart

Only 100 calories and 2 grams of fat per serving!

 

the goods:

 

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for parchment

3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (4 ounces)

1/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

2 small firm, ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place puff pastry on a lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet and gently stretch into a 9-inch square. With a paring knife, score pastry 3/4 inch from edges, creating a border. Freeze 10 minutes.

 

Stir together raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, flour, and salt. Lightly mash some berries to release juices and let stand 5 minutes. Very gently stir in pears. Spread evenly within border of pastry. Brush border with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

 

 

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 and bake until juices are bubbling and crust is deep golden brown, about 30 minutes more (tent crust with foil if overbrowning). Let cool 15 minutes before slicing into squares and serving.

tropical fruit tart

the goods:

all-purpose flour, for work surface

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 pound frozen pineapple chunks, thawed

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 and 1/2 teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin (one 1/4-ounce packet)

3/4 cup cold heavy cream

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced

4 ounces unsweetened coconut flakes (2 tablespoons), toasted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry 1 inch from edges, creating a border; with a fork, prick dough all over inside border. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cook pineapple, sugar, and lemon juice over medium-high until pineapple begins to break down, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve back into saucepan, discarding solids, and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand until gelatin softens, 5 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring, the pour into a medium bowl set in a bowl of ice water. Stir until cool and thickened, 4 minutes.

Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Stir pineapple mixture until smooth; fold into whipped cream until combined. Spread on pastry and top with mango and coconut.

cherry-lime cups

the goods:

crust:

7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for muffin pan

1 and 1/3 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

filling:

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from 3 limes)

1/4 teaspoon salt

9 cherries, halved and pitted

Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter six standard muffin cups. In a food processor, process butter, flour, sugar, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks and vanilla and process until dough comes together when pressed (dough will be crumbly). Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each into a ball and place in muffin cup, pressing evenly into bottom and up sides. Place a paper cupcake liner into each muffin cup over dough and fill with pie wights or dried beans. Bake until edges are dry, 15 minutes. Carefully remove liners and weights; bake until crusts are dry and barely golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, make filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, sugar, lime juice, and salt. Place 3 cherry halves into each crust and divide filling among each. Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes.

With the tip of a knife, or a small offset spatula, remove cups from pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

strawberry-pistachio tart

the goods:

all-purpose flour, for rolling

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/2 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios

2 tablespoons sugar

5 cups thinly sliced strawberries

1/4 cup apricot jam, warmed 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and trim to make a neat rectangle. Freeze until firm, 10 minutes. With a fork, prick pastry all over. To prevent pastry from rising, top with a sheet of parchment paper and stack another rimmed baking sheet on top. Bake until light golden, 13 minutes.

Meanwhile in a food processor, combine 1/4 cup pistachios and sugar and process until pistachios are finely ground. Sprinkle mixture on pastry, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Bake until pastry is deep golden and pistachio mixture begins to turn golden, 10 minutes.

Roughly chop remaining 1/4 pistachios. Remove sheet from oven; arrange strawberries on pistachio mixture, overlapping slices. Brush berries with jam and sprinkle chopped pistachios on border.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

chocolate tart with raspberries

the goods:

32 chocolate wafer cookies (about 8 ounces)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 and 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 and 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine cookies, sugar, and salt. Process until very fine crumbs form. Add butter and pulse until mixture just comes together.

Press crumbs firmly into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is dry and set, 20 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine chocolate and a pinch of salt. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a bare simmer over medium-high. Immediately pour cream over chocolate and let stand 1 minute. Stir gently until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.

Pour chocolate into cooled tart shell and refrigerate until set, 30 minutes.

To serve, remove tart from pan and scatter raspberries on top.

upside-down mango tartlets

the goods:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into six 3-inch circles to fit jumbo muffin pan
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch dice



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place puff pastry circle in refrigerator.



In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, 2 tablespoons water, and a pinch of salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 1 minute, then add butter and stir until completely melted.



In a jumbo muffin pan, divide sugar mixture among the cups (about 4 teaspoons each).



Divide mango among cups and top with pastry.



Bake until pastry is golden brown, puffed, and juices are bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes.



Let cool on a wire rack, 15 minutes. Run a small knife around edges of pastry to loosen. Place a rimmed baking sheet over pan and quickly invert to release tartlets. Serve warm.

individual cinnamon-apple tarts

the goods:

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 pound store-bought pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar



On a floured work surface, roll dough to a 6-by-14-inch rectangle. Dot upper two-thirds of dough with butter and fold dough like a letter.Roll dough to a 6-by-14-inch rectangle; refrigerate on a baking sheet until firm, 1 hour (or up to 1 day). Cut dough crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Place dough on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet.



Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, gently toss together lemon juice, flour, brown sugar, salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and apples.



Arrange apples over dough, overlapping slightly.



In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle tarts with cinnamon-sugar mixture.



Bake until crust is golden brown and apples are soft, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.

fresh orange and yogurt tart

the goods:

1/2 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce packet)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 and 1/2 cups Greek yogurt (2%)
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3 medium navel oranges



In a food processor, pulse almonds, granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until finely ground. Add flour;pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly and holds together when squeezed.



Press crumbs into bottom and up sides of an 8-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Freeze 15 minutes.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes, then remove tart ring and let cool completely.



In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons cold water and let stand 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, warm half-and-half over medium. When it begins to steam, add gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved, about 1 minute.



In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir warm half-and-half mixture into yogurt mixture. Pour filling into cooled tart shell and refrigerate until set, 2 hours (or up to 1 day).



With a sharp paring knife, slice off ends of oranges. Following curve of fruit, cut away peel, removing as much white pith as possible. Slice oranges into 1/4-inch rounds and remove any seeds.



Just before serving, arrange orange slices on top of tart.



The best part? It's kid tested and approved!



They have no idea they are eating yogurt, almonds, and fruit!



The best compliment I got: "TT, I wish mommy cooked like you."



Happy Sunday everyone!